Custom Moto X Unboxing: A Look at Our MotoMaker-made Spearmint Phone

Remember the custom Moto X that we designed at the end of last week? Here it is. As promised by Motorola, our MotoMaker-made Moto X arrived in 4 days or less. Our design went in on Thursday morning, shipped Saturday (yes, on a weekend) and showed up here first thing this morning.

As you’ll recall from our walk-through, we chose Spearmint as our main color, along with Metallic Yellow highlights, which we realized after the fact would almost turn this into an Oregon Duck phone. Thankfully, the green really is “spearmint” and the yellow looks almost gold, so it does stand on its own. With the black face, we’re also getting that infinite black look that you see with most Nexus devices thanks to their on-screen nav buttons that disappear with the screen locked. Thanks to “D L” branding on the bottom, just above the AT&T logo, this is a one of a kind phone.

And damn do we think it’s pretty.

One thing I’d recommend that you all do should you have an AT&T account and decide to customize a Moto X – go into a store and see the colors in person. While I’m perfectly fine with these colors, they do look somewhat different than what I saw online. Don’t get me wrong, it looks good, but I would hate to see a color surprise you in a bad way after waiting patiently for four days as it ships to you.

We won’t be reviewing this particular phone since our Moto X review is already done. But if you have questions about MotoMaker, want to see any other angles of this new color scheme, be sure to let us know in the comments.

Such a gorgeous phone. Kinda reminiscent of the DNA, but with less bezel and on screen buttons

Colin Huber

Alright, let’s go Beavs.

Mike Hilal

If I had a signal green porsche, I’d order the spearmint back.

Oscar Johnson Lamar

wait a second: I just read that the textured/dimpled backs (like a golf ball) are only available on the white and black and now I see your spearmint doesn’t have texture…this is extremely disappointing to say the least.

Broadway

I wanna see how well the wood backs look, if they release them

fauxshizzl

I love the idea of the customizing, and even appreciate the creativity on this one. But good lord is it ugly. The color scheme chosen reminds me of the shoes and clothes tweens are wearing now. Clashing colors with no sense of style. Seems like it draws attention which I assume is the goal, just seems like it is for all the wrong reasons.

DainLaguna

…

fauxshizzl

Excellent use of the Dude. +1

DainLaguna

Hahah I couldn’t help it. However, your lack of a snarky response means you win the internet today so +1 to you

Kie

Since when are blue, orange, and yellow considered to be “clashing” colors? Blue and orange are complementary, and orange and yellow are analogous.

You have to get a service plan on your phone to activate it. Those come from separate companies, and the plan is between you and them; Motorola isn’t a part of it. Be aware that they might charge you for canceling your plan early. Some carriers have a trial period with no cancelation fee at the end, but if you try to use that to get a phone without a plan at a reduced price, Motorola will charge you more than it would have cost to buy the phone without the plan in the first place. If you purchase a MOTO X made with Moto Maker and you cancel your plan early, but do not return your device, Motorola may charge you $300 for the unreturned device.”

Fozzybare

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

Chris Hannan

That’s incorrect. If you pay the ETF, the device is yours. The link you provided explains that if you cancel your plan during the cancellation period (usually the first 14 days), you have to return the phone or be charged an additional $300 by Motorola.

The resell part, however, is odd because when the phone is yours, you can do whatever you want with it. They can’t do anything about that.

Justin W

This is true as long as you didn’t make the device through Moto Maker. See @ScoobySnack:disqus’s comment above.

Ron_Swanson

I bet this is what Phil Knight’s Moto X would look like. *Zoink*

anezarati

i’m glad you still like the yellow of the real phone, but it does look a lot different from what is on the website. that could piss off a lot of people down the road.

plus, who besides the hardcores, are going to go to the store, get a card, then go customize it and wait? if i am going to the store to get a phone, i want to walk out with one right then.

Fozzybare

yeah but this.

“PLAN

You have to get a service plan on your phone to activate it. Those come from separate companies, and the plan is between you and them; Motorola isn’t a part of it. Be aware that they might charge you for canceling your plan early. Some carriers have a trial period with no cancelation fee at the end, but if you try to use that to get a phone without a plan at a reduced price, Motorola will charge you more than it would have cost to buy the phone without the plan in the first place. If you purchase a MOTO X made with Moto Maker and you cancel your plan early, but do not return your device, Motorola may charge you $300 for the unreturned device.”

Godzilla

No Sir No Sir i do not like green phones and spam!

chris420o

Honestly….that green looks even nicer in person…i really am feeling this motomaker…and now i really want a motox….when will moto open the damn site for everyone so we can dream of our custom moto x’s damnit…ive made a whole lot of nike ids bc i love to play with the idea youd sell twice as many phones if you let people do this

The Galaxy Nexus was the same way. You can kind of feel the tiny ridging with your fingernail running lightly on it perpendicular though.

Chase Chick

I absolutely refuse to pay full price until motomaker is out on Verizon. Until then I wait, and if a better phone comes out it’s their own fault for being morons and granting an exclusive to ATT.

michael interbartolo

I prefer to think Google is taking it slow and letting the Texas plant work out all the kinks before opening up to everyone given how hard Google has struggled with Nexus, Chromecast and other hardware rollouts of late.

Chase Chick

That’s fine, they can choose to work out kinks, but it’s not going to be on my dime. If I’m paying full price, I want everything that is available to everyone else. That simple.

David Narada Brown

Makes sense! but i will point out that this is Motorola not Google (i know Google owns them) but Motorola should have a good idea of demand and production theyve been doin it for ages. but this Moto maker is new and i agree with your comment they probably want to workout any kinks.

asten77

Moreso than just being a new phone, it’s the first product in a brand new factory, with employees doing something that hasn’t been done in the US in over a decade.

ninjawarren

Plus, they have to take orders and double check that everything is right more often than with a typical assembly line.

David Narada Brown

Its not quite as complicated as u may think. I work in automotive we make interior parts for BMW! we sequence several different colors and versions of the same part. Each slot has a specific color, build, assembly that is ordered for a specific car on BMW’s line. We use computers synced to BMW to receive the orders for the part, so the operator builds a part based on what the computer tells them and moves on to the next order. No double checking just put a poke yoke in place.

ImmaDroid

I doubt it was Google or Motorola looking for more time. I think it’s At&t. They are being smart and have been getting a lot of initial exclusives rights with new phones. Even since back to the iPhone.. Wish VZW stepped their game up on that front

Dave

Like the S4 active. If the standard S4 would have had the same features/build it would have been Sammy’s nail in the coffin to other OEMs this year.

Ryan

I agree. Even if the S4 just had the active’s screen that would of been a massive improvement.

yankeesusa

Agreed! Why pay full price for a phone when a couple months later the option will become available plus 2 other new phones. Verizon has a tendency to do this. Hence, HTC One with 4.1 and now 4.3 is coming soon for others. Verizon may have the best network but they sure screw their customers over.

LionStone

Last I heard, VZW is releasing the HTC ONE with 4.2.2…

mike dunham

I would be willing to bet AT&T gave Motorola some $$ to get the exclusivity.

CaptainDisillusion

With only plastic materials available right now, I’d have waited for the aluminum backplate anyhow.

Smeckle

Only one of a kind until somebody follows your exact instructions from last week and makes a new DL phone!

i appreciate you taking a picture of it face down on a rock. I would like to see the color in contrast with a piece of sandpaper as well as half buried in sand on the Jersey Shore.

chaoslimits

That’s all I came here to see lol.

T4rd

Lol, yeah, make sure you don’t show the front of the phone in any of those shots either! No one wants to see that “infinite black look” on the front in contrast to the cover that you mentioned.

BTLS

I’d like to see her on her back too (hey now!), just to get an idea of how much green shows and at what angles it can be seen from… I definitely dig the infinite black front though. It’s still one of my favorite features about the gnex.

beverlymcnear22

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Sqube

All jokes aside, I thought it was just me. What do you guys have against shots of the phone that just clearly show what’s happening? Everything is at an angle and the result is I’m starting to find myself going to other places if I want to just, you know, see what a device looks like.

EC8CH

Green and Yellow….. GO BISON!

terry12s

NDSU, Boo!! 🙂

wsnydes

Go BISON!! Boo those who oppose! 🙂

Alex

Looks so friggin good when color customized. God, Moto is so stupid for limiting this!

Christian

Seriously. Even if you don’t like these colors that much, you can’t argue that the custom coloring doesn’t make the phone “pop”. Dat form factor.

I wish I could customize 10 different phones just to see the colors in person heh. But like I said, people should definitely go into an AT&T store to see the colors in person. This spearmint is a lot brighter than I thought it would be.

Feels mostly the same. Maybe slightly stickier on the back, but it’s also brand new and the white one has been in and out of pockets for a couple of weeks.

MichaelFranz

womp womp….hopefully someone figures it out a safe an practical way. would be nice to be able to swap it out once in a while

655321

Since it’s equipped with regular Gorilla Glass rather than the rumored Magic Glass, I figure it must be as easy to crack the screen as every other phone equipped with Gorilla Glass. The fact that the back is glued down likely means no more self-repairs of the glass and/or screen by buying kits on eBay, right?

ceejw

It seems unlikely that it’s glued since Moto lets you send the phone back for different customizations if you don’t end up liking the colors you picked.

Prox

i dont care for the colors IMO

MichaelFranz

IT SCREAMS OREGON DUCKS!! just not as dark of a green, but close enough